1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a receiver-mounted lift gate, and more specifically to a removable receiver-mounted lift gate and wheeled skate body assembly. Even more specifically, the present invention relates to a single electric drive, receiver-mounted lift gate and removable wheeled skate body assembly for positioning the receiver-mounted lift gate relative to a vehicle.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Pickup trucks and other vehicles used for transporting goods, equipment, and other cargo such as for the building, and/or agriculture industries feature cargo beds that are generally parallel to the ground, and ride a number of inches above the ground. These cargo beds have proven to be incredibly versatile, and beneficial, and have led, in part, to the popularity of vehicles such as pickup trucks for both commercial and personal uses.
Various means have been developed for facilitating the loading and unloading of cargo from these vehicles. For example, ramps positioned against a tailgate can be used in combination with a hand truck to facilitate loading and unloading. In the same vein, such vehicles can be backed against a loading dock for this same purpose. In addition, various technologies for lifting cargo, such as fork lifts, cranes, and the like can be employed in the loading and unloading of such vehicles.
Unfortunately, these above-mentioned technologies all require devices or fixtures at the site of loading or unloading to assist in this process. These devices may not be available everywhere, such that during the sequence of loading, transporting, and unlading, the operator may find him/herself without the aid of these technologies either during the loading or unloading of the cargo, or both.
While cranes have been installed in such vehicles, they tend to be specialized and limited to a small percentage of the overall variety of cargo types that may be transported by such vehicles, e.g., a crane may be suitable for lifting cargo that is structured or packaged with appropriate lift points, and/or positioned within the vehicle to lift and lower the cargo from and to specific positions, their application is generally limited. In addition, such cranes can create clearance problems when cargo other than that for which they are designed is to be loaded or unloaded, and must be removed in such cases, sometimes requiring additional technologies to lift the crane off of the vehicle.
As such, lift gates have become somewhat popular as a solution to the challenge of loading and unloading cargo from vehicles. A lift gate is positioned generally where a tailgate would be on a factory stock pickup truck or cargo truck, e.g., box truck, and generally replaces the tailgate, hence the “gate” portion of the name lift gate. In addition, the lift gate can be repositioned from a vertical orientation, where it functions as a “gate” into a horizontal orientation where it functions as a “lift.” While in its horizontal orientation, the lift gate can be lowered to the ground (or even raised to a higher level to align with a loading dock) in order to facilitate the easy loading of cargo onto the lift gate. Once loaded with cargo, the lift gate can be repositioned, such as by using an assembly of linkages and hydraulic cylinders, to a position generally coplanar with the cargo bed in order to facilitate the easy loading of cargo from the lift gate into the cargo bed, or vice versa. This lowering or raising and repositioning of the lift gate may need to be repeated multiple times for multiple batches of cargo in order to fully load the cargo bed.
Unfortunately, the installation of a lift gate does have its drawbacks. Most notably, because a lift gate often replaces the tailgate of the vehicle, and because it must be secured to the vehicle frame in order to both be portable and provide sufficient lifting capacity, installation of a lift gate generally requires permanent removal of the tailgate, and bumper of the vehicle, and fixation of the lift gate machinery to the frame of the vehicle, such as by welding or drilling of mounting holes. Such installation often required specialized mounting brackets suitable of installing the lift gate into the particular make/model/year of vehicle into which the lift gate is to be installed. In addition, the hydraulic cylinders of the lift gate must be supplied with a source of electrical power at 12V and, for example, approximately 100 A.